Hi, Our driveway is now 50 years old and believe it or not, ;) is kaput. I plan to get quotes to have it replaced so here are some questions: [LIST=1] [*]How do I know that I am getting the depth of gravel promised? [*]How thick should the gravel be? [*] I've seen some driveways left in gravel for months before paving and others paved immediately. Why one way or the other? [*] How thick should the pavement be? [*] Anything else I should be looking out for or asking about? [/LIST] Thanks guys!

I just had my foundation walls poured yesterday for my new garage and everything will be backfilled next Friday at the earliest (I insisted they wait 7 days). They plan on backfilling with the original soil, which is heavily clay based and has been sitting in a huge pile in my front yard for 4 weeks. From what I've read, clay soil is the worst backfill to use because it retains moisture and exerts more force on the foundation wall. Should I pay extra to have them use a different soil, or perhaps add something to the existing soil? There will not be a basement or crawlspace on the inside, but rather a structural slab. Is this something a concrete contractor would do, or some other contractor? The builder wants to do it, but I don't have a lot of confidence that they will do it properly.